When the Ladies National Golf Association's flagship championship gets underway at Harrison Lake Country Club on July 20, the leaderboard will read like a passport-stamp collection. More than 100 of the world's best amateur women — from Taiwan, China, Canada, Thailand, France, Norway, Morocco and across the United States — have committed to the 99th LNGA Amateur Championship, giving Columbus, Indiana one of the deepest amateur fields the state has ever seen.
At the top of that field sits the world's 32nd-ranked amateur, according to the Women's Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), anchoring an entry list built almost entirely of collegiate standouts and rising junior talent. Every player has a handicap index of 5.5 or lower and has satisfied USGA amateur-status requirements — the baseline for one of the five marquee events that make up the Women's Elite Amateur Golf Series (WEAGS).
The stakes reach beyond the George III Champion Trophy that will be handed to the winner. The LNGA Amateur is the season's final opportunity for players to bank points toward an exemption into the 126th U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, sharpening the competitive edge across all three rounds. For anyone on the exemption bubble, the week in Columbus is effectively a last audition on the national stage.
| Dates | July 20–23, 2026 |
| Venue | Harrison Lake CC, Columbus, IN |
| Format | 54-hole stroke play · Par 71 |
| Course | ~6,300 yards |
| Field | Up to 144, cut to low 60 |
| Admission | Free |
Depth, and a format that rewards it
The championship is contested over 54 holes of stroke play across three days, with a field of up to 144 cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes — a structure that keeps pressure high from the opening tee shot and typically produces a moving-day scramble for the weekend. At roughly 6,300 yards and a par of 71, Harrison Lake will demand precision over raw length, placing a premium on iron play and short-game touch rather than bombing it off the tee.
Beyond the individual title, three additional trophies are on the line. The low junior aged 18 and under earns the Dorothy Pease Junior Medalist Trophy, and a team competition — scored on the best two rounds from each squad across Rounds 1 and 2 — plays for the Howell Team Trophy. It is a format that rewards field depth, and this year's entry has plenty of it.
The pedigree of the event speaks for itself. Recent champions have gone on to significant college and national success: 2025 winner Cindy Hsu (University of Texas) captured the Women's Elite Amateur Cup the year prior; 2024 champion Thanana Kotchasanmanee (Princeton) was named Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year; and 2022 champion Kelly Xu (Stanford) has since won two NCAA team titles and a Curtis Cup with Team USA. The LNGA's honor roll stretches back further still, to icons of the game such as Nancy Lopez, Betsy Rawls, Babe Zaharias and Patty Berg — all of whom competed and won in LNGA events.
The Indiana six
For all the international flavor at the top of the board, this championship carries a distinctly local storyline. Six Hoosier natives are in the field, most already competing — or committed to compete — at the Division I level, and they will play this one in front of home crowds.
| Player | Hometown | College |
|---|---|---|
| Samantha Brown | Westfield, IN | Purdue University |
| Ava Bunker | Edinburgh, IN | Indiana University (commit) |
| Paige Giovenco | Sellersburg, IN | University of Iowa |
| Lexi Ray | Franklin, IN | Ball State University |
| Taylor Snively | Zionsville, IN | — |
| Claire Swathwood | Carmel, IN | Texas Christian University |
99 years, 35 states — and a first for Indiana
The 2026 championship also closes a small gap in the association's long history. Since its founding in 1927, the LNGA Amateur has been staged in 34 states; Columbus makes Indiana the 35th, and the first time in the organization's 99-year existence that the championship has been contested in the Hoosier State.
“The LNGA is beyond thrilled to introduce our championship to the state of Indiana. Our championship brings in elite athletes from all over the world, and we cannot wait to share their talent with Columbus at Harrison Lake Country Club. With the combination of the LNGA's rich history, competitive field of athletes, and a fantastic venue in Harrison Lake, the championship is certain to bring forth an incredible week of golf.” — Cathy Mant, President, Ladies National Golf Association
A volunteer-run nonprofit, the LNGA operates on a model that keeps the focus on player opportunity and community partnership rather than profit — while delivering the sort of regional economic lift, from hotel stays to dining, that a traveling national championship brings to its host town. Spectators are welcome all week at no charge, with live scoring available throughout the three rounds.
Practice begins Monday, July 20, with the championship proper running Tuesday through Thursday.